Match Twenty
NM State (14-5, 5-2 WAC) vs. SFA (13-4, 4-1 WAC)
Thursday, Oct. 21 | 3:00 p.m. MT | GCU Arena | Phoenix, Ariz.
Watch | Live Stats | Tickets | NM State Match Notes
Match Twenty-One
NM State vs. Sam Houston (11-6, 4-1 WAC)
Friday, Oct. 22 | 6:00 p.m. MT | GCU Arena | Phoenix, Ariz.
Watch | Live Stats | Tickets | NM State Match Notes
THE FIRST SERVE
• For the first time since the WAC went to division play, the top teams from the league's West and Southwest Divisions will convene at GCU Arena in Phoenix, Ariz., for a stretch of matches with regular season title implications. Grand Canyon, NM State, SFA, Sam Houston and Utah Valley will all be in attendance Thursday, Friday and Saturday in order to try and gain separation from one another in their respective divisional races.
• NM State begins its two-match week with a 3:00 p.m. MT showdown with WAC Southwest Division co-leader SFA Thursday afternoon inside GCU Arena. The following evening at 6:00 p.m. MT, NM State will duke it out with WAC Southwest Division co-leader Sam Houston.
SERIES HISTORY vs. SFA
Overall vs. SFA | 1-1 (.500)
Streak | NM State won one
In Las Cruces, N.M. | 1-0 (1.000)
In Nacogdoches, Texas | 0-0 (.000)
At neutral sites | 0-1 (1.000)
Last five matches | 1-1 (.500)
Last 10 matches | 1-1 (.500)
In three-set matches | 1-0 (1.000)
In four-set matches | 0-1 (.000)
In five-set matches | 0-0 (.000)
Jordan vs. SFA | 1-0 (1.000)
Humphreys vs. NM State | 1-1 (.500)
• The Aggies and Ladyjacks haven't crossed paths since August 29, 2003. That day, in the 2003 season opener for NM State, the Aggies defeated SFA in three sets inside the Pan American Center as part of the Borderland Invitational.
• That win was the first of 30 accumulated by the Aggies in 2003 and marked the first of three 30-win seasons the program has posted under the direction of head coach Mike Jordan.
SERIES HISTORY vs. SAM HOUSTON
Overall vs. Sam Houston | 2-1 (.667)
Streak | NM State won one
In Las Cruces, N.M. | 1-0 (1.000)
In Huntsville, Texas | 0-0 (.000)
At neutral sites | 1-1 (.500)
Last five matches | 2-1 (.667)
Last 10 matches | 2-1 (.667)
In three-set matches | 1-0 (1.000)
In four-set matches | 1-1 (.500)
In five-set matches | 0-0 (.500)
Jordan vs. Sam Houston | 0-0 (.000)
Gray vs. NM State | 1-1 (.500)
• Never before in the 21st century have the Aggies and Bearkats crossed paths. The last matchup between the two teams came on Aug. 29, 1997, when NM State secured a four-set victory over the Bearkats inside the Pan American Center in the Las Cruces Hilton Classic.
• Each of the three previous matches between NM State and Sam Houston featured Aggie head coaches other than Mike Jordan. David Noble (1997) was the bench boss for the most recent bout between the two teams while Gwen Leabo (1996) and Tom Shoji (1982) were leading the program for the other two meetings.
WAC ATTACK
• A new-look Western Athletic Conference is making its debut season in the 2021-22 season, and the Aggies are hoping to continue their dominance in the league.
• Now in his 24th season in charge at NM State, head coach Mike Jordan has been nothing short of masterful in league action throughout his tenure. The Aggies' bench boss owns an impressive 284-67 (.809) mark in regular-season WAC showdowns as well as a 30-12 (.714) record in WAC Tournament bouts.
• NM State has been especially effective in racking up all manner of WAC hardware through the last seven seasons. In that span, the Aggies are 86-10 (.896) against league opposition in regular-season tilts and have claimed five regular-season WAC crowns as well as a trio of WAC Tournament titles.
• Since joining the WAC in 2005, NM State has secured seven regular-season titles. All told, Jordan has claimed 11 conference titles since his run in Las Cruces began in 1998.
LAST TIME OUT | NM State 2, at Grand Canyon 3 | Oct. 16, 2021
• Junior outside hitter Katie Birtcil matched her career high by amassing 24 kills, but too many errors both on the attack and in the serve/receive game spelled doom for NM State as the Aggies dropped a five-set showdown at Grand Canyon Saturday night.
• No other Aggie finished with more than nine kills in the team's five-set loss.
• NM State finished the match with 20 attack errors and 13 more service errors, giving the Lopes some 33 points. The Aggies' front-row defense was strong as they racked up a season-high 14 blocks compared to just four by the hosts.
• The loss snapped the Aggies' 14-match winning streak against Grand Canyon and dropped their all-time record against the Lopes to 20-2.
ABOUT THE AGGIES
• Despite a five-set loss at Grand Canyon last Saturday night, NM State still resides in the top spot of the WAC's West Division standings. The Aggies are tied for first place with Utah Valley as both have identical 5-2 records in league action.
• California Baptist and Grand Canyon sit one game back of both the Aggies and Wolverines with 4-3 marks in conference play.
• Playing on a neutral court for the seventh and eighth times this year, NM State has had little trouble in matches of that configuration as of late. Dating back to the 2019 season, the Aggies have won 14 consecutive neutral-site matches and since 2018 the Aggies have posted a 25-2 (.926) record in neutral-site bouts.
• NM State continues to lead the WAC in both hitting percentage (.243) and opponent hitting percentage (.148). The Aggies' opponent hitting percentage mark is the 16th-best in the nation.
• Senior setter Carly Aigner-Swesey has racked up a team-leading 10 double-doubles thus far in 2021. Five of those have come in her last seven outings and she has posted two consecutive matches with a double-double.
• Junior outside hitter Katie Birtcil took over the team's lead in terms of kills per set. After hammering home 24 terminations last Saturday in Phoenix, Birtcil is averaging 3.11 kills per frame - the eighth-highest figure in the WAC.
• Shaney Lipsomb gives NM State two of the WAC's top ten players in terms of kills per set. The San Diego, Calif., product ranks second on the team and ninth in the league with 2.86 terminations per frame.
• Senior middle blocker Lia Mosher has been one of the nation's most efficient attackers all season. The Ruidoso, N.M., product currently leads the WAC and ranks 11th nationally with an attack percentage of .432.
• This week's matches feature three of the longest-tenured - and most successful - active NCAA Division I head coaches. NM State head coach Mike Jordan (28th, 523 wins), SFA head coach Debbie Humphreys (ninth, 761 wins) and Sam Houston head coach Brenda Gray (10th) all rank among the top 30 active NCAA Division I head coaches in terms of total wins.
SCOUTING SFA | ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATISTICS
• A perennial Southland Conference power prior to this fall, the Ladyjacks have already cemented themselves as one of the WAC's newest volleyball leaders. Of SFA's four setbacks on the season, two have come at the hands of Power Five programs (Arkansas and North Carolina) while one has come at Sam Houston (Oct. 8, 3-1).
• The top RPI team in the WAC (69), SFA relies primarily on a strong serve/receive game, an up-tempo offense and one of the best front-row defensive players in the nation to get the job done. Five Ladyjacks average over 2.00 kills per set with sophomore Leah Powell (2.65/set) serving as the team's top offensive threat.
• In addition to Powell, Valeria Rosado (2.54 kills/set), Payton Cerny (2.26 kills/set) and Ielan Bradley (2.21 kills/set) have been big factors to the Ladyjacks' success. Kennedy Wright does lead the team with 2.83 kills per set but has played in just three matches on the year.
• The duo of Kayla Grant and Taya Mitchell man the Ladyjacks' defensive efforts in the front row. Though she has taken part in only eight matches, Grant tops the team's charts in blocks per set (1.48) and has totaled two or more rejections in each match she has taken part in. Mitchell, meanwhile, has amassed 65 blocks and ranks second in the WAC with an average of 1.20 per set.
• On the back line, Alyssa Ortega leads the team with 4.69 digs - a figure which ranks third among all WAC players. Coming in second in terms of floor defense for the Ladyjacks is the do-it-all Ariana Pagan. Her 3.25 digs per set are complimented by 1.96 kills and 0.23 service aces per frame.
• Able to run a 6-2 offense with ease, Kodi Garcia and Maddy Bourque have been handling the set-up duties for SFA this season. Garcia leads the team in both assists per set (5.91) and total service aces (15) while Bourque adds 5.05 assists per frame to the equation.
• Five SFA players have totaled 10 or more service aces this season and as a result the Ladyjacks rank third in the WAC in aces per set (1.45).
• SFA ranks second only to NM State in hitting percentage on the year, owning a figure of .241 through its 17 matches thus far.
SCOUTING SAM HOUSTON | ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATISTICS
• The only WAC team who has succeeded in handing SFA a league loss, Sam Houston's calling cards are strong floor defense and excellent pin hitters - tools head coach Brenda Gray has at her disposal once again.
• No team in the WAC, and few in the nation, better the Bearkats' floor defense as they average 17.42 digs per set. That figure is the 13th-best among all NCAA Division I volleyball teams and it has to do largely with the play of freshman libero Hannah Baker.
• Baker leads the WAC and ranks 22nd in the land with 5.10 digs per set, but a bevy of other Bearkats have put up strong defensive numbers, too.
• Two of the top-ten kills per set leaders in the WAC play for Sam Houston in Ashley Lewis and Breanne Chausse. Lewis leads the team and ranks fifth in the WAC with 3.55 kills per set while Chausse isn't far behind with her 3.19 terminations per frame. They help the Bearkats lead the WAC while ranking 61st nationally in kills per set (13.33).
• Overseeing the team's operation on offense is Morgan Janda who averages 9.54 assists per set. She also ranks third on the team in digs per set (2.80) while Lewis sits second at 3.43.
COMING UP NEXT
• The fourth in a stretch of five consecutive matches away from Las Cruces sends NM State to Riverside, Calif., for a Thursday night tilt at California Baptist. First serve in the WAC showdown between the Aggies and Lancers is set for 8:00 p.m. MT on Oct. 28.
++NM State++
